Pumping equipment



June 26, 1934. R, v CQOK ET AL 1,964,032

PUMPING EQUIPMENT Filed Aug. 17, 1931 FRDERICK H. anew/exp Patented June 26 1934- UNITED STATES PTENT' CFFICE Chicago, 111.; said Cook assignor to Fairbanks,

Morse & Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application August 17, 1931, Serial No. 557,552

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in pumping equipment, and more particularly to a novel combination of apparatus for automatic underground pumping installations, particularly those of shallow pit type.

In certain localities, due to geographical conditions, it is necessary, as is known in the art, to make provision for a periodic removal of sewage or other liquid from sumps, cisterns, or basins into which the sewage system, for example, discharges. To this end there is customarily provided a housing containing, usually, a centrifugal pump of vertical shaft type, together with automatic fluid-pressure actuated switches suitably connected to one or more prime movers by which the pumps are actuated.

Heretofore the greater number of pumping in stallations of this type have necessarily been lo cated below the level of the sewage or other fluid in the basins or cisternssupplying such pumps, in which case the pumps are obviously automatically kept in prime.

It is, however, obviously desirable to minimize the excavation necessary when, as is usual, this pumping equipment is located underground as in a so called shallow pit installation. In the present arrangement the pumps are located above even the maximum level of liquid in the supply sump and provision must be made, particularly in an automatic system, for keeping the pumps in prime. It is to the attainment of this object, broadly considered, that the present invention is directed.

, An object of the present invention is to provide,

in connection with a cistern or sump, such as is employed in connection with sewage disposal systems, an underground casing containing pumps in communication with such a sump, and provided with a novel arrangement forautomatically keeping the pumps primed and ready for service at any time in the absence of an attendant.

A further object of the invention is attained in the provision of a built-in device in connection with an automatic underground sewage disposal station, for automatically keeping one or more pumps primed and ready for service at all times.

Yet another object of the invention is attained in the provision of a simple built in priming container constructed as a part of a casing, or housing for an automatic sewage station, and which is of such location and relation with respect to the pumps in such a station that the pumps will always be kept in prime, irrespective of the relative 155 depths, or vertical disposition of the pumping station proper and the sump or system by which the pumps are supplied.

The foregoing and additional objects will more fully appear from the following detailed description, considered in connection with the accompanying drawing of a presently preferred example of the invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation through a sump or sewage reservoir, and through an underground sewage station embodying the principles of the present invention and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken along line 2-2 in Fig.- 1.

Referring now by characters of reference to the drawing, a sump or cistern 3 appears at the right of Fig 1, it being understood that the sump serves as a receiver for sewage discharge, say from municipal sewage mains, the sewage or other liquid being directed into the sump through an inlet 4. The sump may be of any suitable watertight construction. Disposed within the sump is a vertical riser tube 5, directed outwardly through a horizontal length of piping 6 and thence to the inlet of one or more pumps 7 by means hereinafter appearing. The pump 7 is shown as of centrifugal type, and preferably consists of anyof the suitable so called trashimpellers adapted for the handling of fluids containing a substantial amount of solids; Any other suitable type of pump may, however, be employed, as for instance, a horizontal or vertical reciprocating pump. The pump 7 is driven by a prime mover such as a motor 8, and the assembly disposed preferably underground and in a substantially fluid-tight housing 9, by preference, constructed of steel plates of sectional construction. The housing 9 constituting the enclosure for the station as a whole is characterized by an upwardly projecting'tubular portion 10 terminating preferably at the ground level, and provided with a suitable cover or closure. As a means for positioning the underground station at a fixed depth below the ground level, it

is preferred to provide a pair of structural steel .iembers, such as 1 bars 11, certain of which are disposed above the housing roof, and two of which extend transversely below, but are secured to 100 the floor of the housing. The latter members preferably project laterally of the housing, and

to the projecting end portions are secured shelf or anchor members 12, serving as a soil anchor to prevent any tendency for the station to be dis- 105 placed upwardly.

In the example shown, the housing or casing forming the enclosure for the station is of circular form, being economically constructed in this shape. It may, however, be of any suitable or 110 polygonal section, and proportioned. other. than as shown according to the present example.

It will appear that, were the inlet pipe 5 and 6 connected directly to the intake side of the pump, the pump, after any appreciable stop period}. might be out of prime, particularly, in case. the level of liquid within the sump 3 fell to a lower point. To the end of obviating this difficulty, and. of keeping the pump always in prime, a partition 13 is disposed as a vertical chord member at one side of, and within, the housing 9. It will of course be understood that the partition 13 may be disposed as an inwardly arcuate chord member in order to increase the available capacity. By preference, this partition is welded or riveted so as to be in water-tight relation with the adjacent wall of the container 9, and to form therewith a pair of superposed segmental container portions 14 and 15 of substantial equal capacity, and divided as by a transverse horizontal partition or imperforate wall 16.

Although, if desired, the motor 8 may be energized as by a manually controlled switch, it is accordingly preferred, as a labor saving expedient,

to control the energization of the motor or other prime mover by means of an automatic switch, operating responsively to rise and fall of the, fluid level in the sump 3. This may be accomplished as by a switch such as is shown in the present example and indicated at 17 which may be of the Mercoid type. This switch may be connected through a covered cable or conduit 18 ex tending from the switch to the interior casing 9 and having appropriate electrical connections (not shown) with the motor and supply mains; connected thereto. It thus appears that the op.- era-tion of the station is entirely. automatic, de-. pending upon the level of the sewage in the sump.

The operation of the priming features of the invention will appear by reference to Fig. 1, from which it will appear that when the pump, ceases operation, the compartment 15; is, of course, left full of liquid due to drainage back through the pump from compartment 14, which has been pre:, viously filled due to the fact that it constitutes a portion of the discharge line from the pump to a discharge pipe of conduit '19 constituti ng theouta let line from thest'atio'n It will of course beunderstood that a suitable check valve 21 maybe disposed in the discharge line 19. When the pump, .is again put into operation, it will of course be in the compartment 15. The pump therefore be -I ing primed will, at once, upon again being put into operation, start pumping liquid from comcapacity of the suction lines 5, 6 and to the sump 3, that as compartment 15 is partially evacuated, liquid will be drawn over from the sump 3 into the compartment 15, and the liquid level in compartment 15 will be brought down to a point just above the pump suction inlet 20 and from the lower compartment to the pump. When the pump again goes out of operation, the compartment 15 is again filled up with liquid, flowing by gravity from compartment 14. The liquid from discharge pipe 19 is prevented from draining back to compartment l4 by the provision of the check valve 21. It will, of course, appear that the present showing and illustrations are, for the sake of simplicity,

r. confined to an installation in which but a single pump is employed; In cases of installations where a plurality of pumps are employed the capacities ofthe compart'merrts Hand 15 may be proportionatelly increased or, as is preferred, separate compartments maybe employed in connection with the intake and discharge of each pump. It will, of course; be: understood that the arrangement of thepriming chamber is substantially the same as that illustrated. in the La Bour Patent No. 1,314,875, the. present arrangement constituting an improvement, in that the priming feature is combinedwith an underground sewage disposal system;

It will appear that according to the present design, the structure making for the automatic priming feature is economical and simple, in that only two additional members 13 and 16 may be provided and which may be built in, in a few minutes time, as by welding to the wall portions of the usual casing 9. It will appear obvious that, as may be desired, separate containers may be employed either within or without the casing or housing 9 and connected in the pump intake. and discharge lines after the manner oi the compartments 14 and 15 of the p esent example.

It will appear that, as noted in the objects and description above, that the present invention results in the provision of an inexpensive automatic, pumping station, in that, such an assembly can be placed in a much shallower pit, than is required for installations of prevailing type, requiring a, comparatively deep excavation: for the station housing. Such, installations usually require, a vertical pump, a greater length or" shafting, and much greater excavation costs due to the usual added difiiculty of removing the soil or rock lying at greater depths from the surface. By building the automatic priming device into the'steel tank or housing, there is eliminated the necessity of keeping the pump intake below the level of the sewage or other. liquid in the sump. In the present construc-- tion, due partly to the, use, of horizontal pumps of standard types which are more economical in construction than the vertical pumps, the saving in complete installations, such as,v here dis-- closed, may amount to ne-thirdor one-half of the usu l to al.

For convenienceof illustration and descrip tion and as illustrating the practical application of the invention, it has herein been described by reference to a sewage disposal system. It will, however be understopd that the. same prin-- ciples are applicable to automatic pumping installations generally, without regard tothe. particular matrialhandled by the, pumps, andthat. certain variations in theparts described and .their combination and relation, may be made without. departing from the full intended scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereunto. appended.

We claim:

1. In an automatic sewage disposal system; the combination of a tank constituting an underground housing, a sewage receiving sump disposedin substantial part below the housing, a pump supported within said housing, a reservoir con:- nected to the intake of said pump and having its upper portion connected to be supplied from said sump, a second reservoir connected to the discharge side of said pump and having connection with said first reservoir through said I pump, a vertical wall within the tank, and a horizontal partition connecting the vertical wall and a wall of the tank, said walls and: partition coacting to form said reservoirs.

2. In an underground sewage pumping station, in combination, a tank constituting an underground housing, a pump within said housing, a sewage receiving sump extending below said housing, an intake conduit directed fromsaid sump to said. pump, a reservoir disposed near said pump, and having its upper portion con nected to said intake conduit, a secondv reservoir overlying said first reservoir andhaving its lowerportion connected with the pump discharge, a discharge conduit from the upper portion of said second reservoir, a vertical partition in said tank, connected to spaced walls of the tank, and a horizontal partition bridging the first partition and a wall of the tank, said partitions coacting with the associated tank walls to form said reservoirs.

3. In an underground pumping station for the automatic disposal of sewage and the like, the combination of a metal underground tank constituting a station housing, a sump constituting a source of supply to, and disposed below said housing, a pump supported within said housing, an intake pipe extending from substantially the lower portion of said sump to said housing, a vertical and a horizontal partition element forming within walls of the housing, two vertical, superposed priming reservoirs, the lower reservoir being connected near opposite ends respectively, to said intake pipe and to the inlet of said pump, the upper reservoir having its opposite ends connected with the discharge side of said pump and with a discharge pipe from said housing, and being of a capacity substantially to fill the lower reservoir through the pump,- when the pump is inoperative, and an automatic pump control device in said sump.

4. In an underground pumping station for disposal of sewage and the like, in combination. a sump for reception of liquid tobe pumped, a cylindrical housing separate from the sump, and disposed substantially above the lower portion of the sump, and above the normal level ofliquid therein, pumping and priming apparatus withinthe housing including a centrifugal pump, a prime mover operatively connected to the pump, a vertical partition in.- that portion of the housing adjacent the sump, a horizontal partitionbridging said vertical partition and the adjacent wall of the housing, andforming with the partition and housing walla pair of priming reservoirs, each vertically disposed, and arrangedone above the other, a conduit from the lower portion of said sump to the upper portion of the lower reservoir, a connection from the lower reservoir to the inlet of said pump, a connection from the discharge side of said pump to substantially the lowermost portion of the upper reservoir, and a connection from the upper portion of the upper reservoir to a place of discharge, the lower reservoir extending to a height at least equal to that of the pump casing, to insure delivery of priming fluid thereto, and the upper reservoir being of a minimum capacity equal to the volume of that portion of the lower reservoir above the pump inlet connection, the upper reservoir being disposed above the pump casing.

ROBERT V. COOK. FREDERICK H. BRADFORD. 

